Town Square

Council wrestles with grade separation designs

Original post made
on May 11, 2012

Facing plans for increased use of the Caltrain corridor by Caltrain and high-speed rail, City Council members adopted an official line Tuesday to separate the train tracks from Rengstorff Avenue. But dealing with a grade separation at Castro Street proved much more difficult.

Posted by Laurence
a resident of Whisman Station
on May 11, 2012 at 2:29 pm

Elevating Calderon might work, except that where would it go on the other side? There is no north-south street to align with on the north side. This also would be a massive bridge, just as tall (even if narrower) than the Shoreline and Whisman overcrossings so that the trains could clear underneath.

Separating Rengstorff is absolutely necessary due to safety and congestion concerns. That is one of government's primary missions, keeping citizens safe, and this is a tricky corner because of the multiple jurisdictions [city street, county expressway, Caltrain]. It's only a matter of time before something horrible happens there.

Posted by tommygee54
a resident of Rex Manor
on May 11, 2012 at 3:05 pm

A grade separation for Caltrain and HSR usage at Rengstorff at Central Expressway is ABOUT TIME. This intersection is my most hated intersection in Mtn. View. I will be real happy when the work is finished.

Posted by pedestrian
a resident of Old Mountain View
on May 11, 2012 at 4:49 pm

Is it possible to create a grade separation that is friendly to pedestrians? Existing grade separations like San Antonio Road are really awful for pedestrians. Grade separations turn neighborhood roads into the equivalent of freeway interchanges with cars coming at pedestrians from all directions and at high speeds. I am not convinced that this is a real safety improvement for the city.

Hooray! Get it done! Yes, Rengstorff & Central is the worst intersection in MV. I sometimes wonder how much of the air quality improvement due people riding the train is offset by the idling vehicles delayed at grade crossings like Rengstorff. And electrify it too! It's appalling that the city Google calls home has a 19th century railroad running through it.

Posted by Doug Pearson
a resident of Blossom Valley
on May 11, 2012 at 10:01 pm

Thank you, City Council for finally taking grade separation seriously. In my opinion, grade separation is needed for every Mountain View street that crosses the Caltrain tracks.

The study for the Rengstorff crossing is a good start but it should be a guide for the Castro crossing, and I'd like to see the San Antonio crossing improved as well. In all three cases, my preference is for the street to go under the tracks but I expect the Council to make their decision based on the study results, not my preference.

The Council has apparently decided that the Caltrain corridor will stay at its current elevation whether High Speed Rail comes or not. That may be correct, but the rail bed is more likely to be raised than lowered, and the Council should be prepared to rebuild San Antonio, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail and Whisman, not to mention the biggies, 85 and 237. Luckily, 85 and 237 are not Mountain View responsibilities.